Dental Clinic to host "Mouthguard Day"

  • Published
  • By Capt. (Dr.) Nicholas DuVall
  • 60th Dental Squadron
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The Dental Clinic will host a "Mouthguard Day" clinic at the Health and Wellness Center Oct. 15 at 3 p.m.

The event is being held to provide awareness to Team Travis members on ways to prevent sports-related orofacial injuries by using a mouthguard.

Dental injuries are the most common type of orofacial injury sustained during sporting events The National Youth Sports Foundation estimates that more than 5 million teeth will be knocked out during sporting events this year.

The American Dental Association states that approximately 200,000 orofacial injuries are prevented annually by the use of sports mouthguards in high school and collegiate football alone.

A 1995 study by Dr. Raymond Flander reported the high incidence of orofacial injuries in sports other than football. In football where mouthguards are required, 0.07 percent of all injuries were orofacial. But in basketball where mouthguards are not required, 34 percent of all injuries were orofacial.

Mouthguards should be worn during any sporting event where there is a chance for contact with other participants or surfaces. Mouthguards may prevent serious injuries such as concussions, cerebral hemorrhages, incidents of unconsciousness, jaw fractures, and neck injuries by preventing the lower jaw hinge from being forced into the base of the brain at impact.

Mouthguards also keep soft tissue in the mouth away from teeth and braces, preventing lacerations and bruising of the soft tissue, and absorb impact forces to the mouth, decreasing the chance of fracturing teeth.

There are two different types of mouthguards: 

-- Stock mouthguards are less expensive, but they generally offer limited protection, interfere with speech or breathing, and do not last long. 

-- Custom-fabricated mouthguards are more expensive, but offer the best protection, do not interfere with speech or breathing, and provide better longevity. Custom-fabricated mouthguards are made by a dentist after taking mouth impressions. Dentists can also inform patients of the best type of custom-fabricated mouthguard for their sporting event and contact level.

When participating in any contact sport, use a mouthguard to protect your teeth and prevent more serious injury.

For more information, visit your dentist or call the Dental Clinic at 423-7001.